The blog
Stories, guides and curiosities about suiseki, sumi-e ink painting and Japanese culture, told from our workshop in Calabria, Italy.
What is sumi-e: Japanese ink painting
Ink, water, brush and paper: what sumi-e is, which tools it uses, why it is linked to Zen and how to look at an ink painting.
The history of sumi-e: from Zen monks to Sesshū, and today
Born in China, brought to Japan by Zen monks and made immortal by Sesshū: the history of Japanese ink painting, in brief.
The four gentlemen of sumi-e: bamboo, orchid, plum and chrysanthemum
Bamboo, orchid, plum and chrysanthemum: the four classic subjects of sumi-e. What they mean, which season they belong to and how they are painted.
Shikishi: what it is and how to display it at home
The gold-edged Japanese board made for poems and small paintings: what a shikishi is and how to display it on a stand or in a frame.
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